As quickly as it came, it’s gone. The “Roseanne” reboot was a terrible experiment.
Maybe that’s because Roseanne Barr had one idea, and everyone else had another.
Where to begin?
The worst moment in the ten weeks was Roseanne making fun of ABC’s black and Asian shows. “Yeah, they’re just like us” is a phrase that will live in infamy. She was referring to the much awarded, highly regarded “Black-ish” and “Fresh off the Boat.”
Then there was Roseanne’s physical abuse of her teenage granddaughter. Roseanne grabbed her by the neck and shoved her head under the kitchen faucet, with running water. It was child abuse, fair and square.
And there was the constant condescending to what class Roseanne thought the Conners belonged to. Roseanne, who lives in mansions, has had many face lifts, was the only character with a designer haircut. Everyone else on the show wore garish clothes– not cheap, but purposely ugly. She wore nice things. Her sister Jackie, with a police pension, looked as though she couldn’t take care of herself.
What’s more, you could feel the tension on their stage. In the old “Roseanne,” there was a camaraderie. There was no ‘point.’ Here, the political tug of war stretched across the screen and threatened to break the whole thing wide open.
Even worse, John Goodman– a movie icon for his character work– looked as though he was asleep. After years of indie films, here was a chance to make money. So he took it– no can fault him — but the price was so high. Dan Conner became a prop, and John Goodman didn’t seem to mind. It was infuriating.
And Laurie Metcalf. Here is she now on Broadway in Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women.” She’s nominated for a Tony award. Last year she won a Tony for “A Doll’s House, Part 2.” She was nominated for an Oscar in “Lady Bird” and nearly won. All that great work was thrown out the window to play Roseanne’s foil. In ten episodes we learned nothing about Jackie. In the premiere she was anti-Trump. After that, she was just a punchline.
Thank god this thing is over.
